Hurricane Whitney (2060) (Misteeer)
Hurricane Whitney, occasionally known unofficially as Superstorm Whitney, the Superstorm of the Century, the Monster from the Atlantic, or the Superstorm of the Century, was the most intense Atlantic tropical cyclone on record, with a minimum barometric pressure of 860 mbar (25.40 inHg) and 1-minute sustained winds of 230 mph (370 km/h). Whitney was the twenty-fourth tropical depression, twenty-first tropical storm, nineteenth hurricane, and eleventh major hurricane of the hyperactive 2060 Atlantic hurricane season, as well as the last storm on the standard naming list of the season. The precursor to Whitney was a tropical wave that exited Africa on August 30. At approximately 14:00 UTC on September 4, the wave developed into a tropical depression while located approximately 180 miles (290 km) east of the Cabo Verde Islands. Around twelve hours later, the depression became a tropical storm while located over the islands. As Whitney crossed the Atlantic, it strengthened at a steady pace, before undergoing explosive intensification while near the Bahamas and deepening from 918 mbar (27.11 inHg) to 872 mbar (25.75 inHg), and its 1-minute sustained winds increased from 160 mph (257 km/h) to 210 mph (338 km/h). Around eighteen hours later, Whitney reached its peak intensity over the Bahamas, with a minimum barometric pressure of 860 mbar (25.40 inHg) and maximum 1-minute sustained winds of 230 mph (370 km/h) at approximately 2:30 UTC on September 12. At 6:00 UTC on September 12, Whitney made landfall near Staniard Creek, North Andros, Bahamas, near its peak intensity. At this point, the hurricane began to accelerate, and made another landfall near Hollywood, Florida, United States with a minimum barometric pressure of 871 mbar (25.72 inHg) and 1-minute sustained winds of 215 mph (346 km/h), before making four landfalls in the Carolinas. Many people were trapped in the Carolinas and Florida, resulting in the deaths of thousands. As Whitney paralleled the east coast, it dumped up to 9 feet (3 m) of rain, lashed many areas with hurricane-force winds, and inundated land for miles inland with storm surge as high as 40 feet (12 m) of rain in many locations, killing multiple thousands. At 14:30 UTC on September 15, it made landfall near Assateague Island, Maryland, United States with a minimum barometric pressure of 898 mbar (26.52 inHg) and 1-minute sustained winds of 195 mph (313.8 km/h), becoming the most intense tropical cyclone to make landfall at a latitude so far north. After briefly emerging into the Delaware Bay, it made another landfall near Cape May, New Jersey, United States at similar intensity. As it emerged into the Atlantic, Whitney experienced a drastic decrease in forward speed, and had almost entirely stalled when it made landfall in Brooklyn, New York at 16:00 UTC on September 17 with a minimum barometric pressure of 904 mbar (26.70 inHg) and 1-minute sustained winds of 190 mph (306 km/h), making it the most intense hurricane to make landfall at such a high latitude. As Whitney drifted to the east at a forward speed ranging from 2 to 9 mph (3 km/h to 15 km/h), it made five additional New York landfalls in Queens, Fire Island, Westhampton Beach, Hampton Bays, and Montauk Point. Whitney made landfall in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts at 6:00 UTC on September 19, and near Falmouth, Massachusetts at 9:00 UTC. Both of these landfalls were at strong Category 5 intensity, and much of southeastern Massachusetts was devastated. It proceeded to make landfall in Clifton, Massachusetts at 19:45 UTC, and Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts at 21:00 UTC. Much of the Greater Boston area was devastated. Meteorological history On August 30, a tropical wave exited western Africa. As the wave moved into a region of extremely low wind shear and sea surface temperatures in excess of 90°F (32°C), it quickly intensified. On September 1, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) designated the system as Invest 90L, and then as a Potential Tropical Cyclone on September 2 while it was located approximately 100 miles (160 km) east of the easternmost portion of the Cabo Verde Islands. At 12:00 UTC on September 4, the system was observed to have developed closed convection, and was designated as Tropical Depression Twenty-four by the NHC. Sixteen hours later, Twenty-four achieved tropical storm intensity, and was assigned the name Whitney ''as per the designated naming list that had been chosen for the 2060 Atlantic hurricane season, and advisories were initiated for the majority of the Cabo Verde Islands, which were expected to be impacted by heavy rainfall and gusty winds. Preparations Impact '''Antilles' Bahamas Southeastern United States Florida As a Category 6 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, Hurricane Whitney made landfall in the city of Hollywood, Florida at 2:00 UTC on September 13. A 40-foot (12.2 m) storm surge devastated southern Florida, inundating land for miles inland, permanently altering local geography, and resulting in the deaths of multiple hundreds of people who had been trapped in southern Florida. In the city of Hollywood, every single structure was reported to have been either heavily damaged or destroyed. The city was inundated with up to 20 feet (6.1 m) of floodwaters for over a week after the storm devastated the region, and over 150,000 residents of the city were rendered homeless, along with millions more in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area. Rainfall in the region peaked at 114.1 in (289.8 cm), the highest official rainfall total from Hurricane Whitney, making it the wettest tropical cyclone in the United States and the seventh-wettest tropical cyclone worldwide. Most locations in southern Florida received at least 60 in (152.4 cm) of rainfall. Many keys and barrier islands were entirely submerged. This included the Florida Keys, which suffered extreme damage and loss of life, primarily caused by severe flash flooding that lasted for over 2 weeks after Whitney's passage through Florida. Some cities, such as Key West and Key Largo, were entirely destroyed. Further north, the wildlife of Everglades National Park suffered extreme damage, and was altered for several decades after Whitney struck the region. Further north, the coast of Lake Okeechobee, the largest lake in the state of Florida, experienced catastrophic flooding. The Kissimmee River crested at 61 feet (18.6 m) above flood stage, the worst river flooding on record in the state of Florida. This inundated many riverside and lakeside settlements, and killed hundreds of people within the region. Georgia The state of Georgia also suffered from cataclysmic damage caused by Hurricane Whitney, which made a singular landfall in Brunswick, Georgia as a Category 6 hurricane with a barometric pressure of 890 mbar (26.28 inHg) and 1-minute sustained winds of 210 mph (338 km/h), generating a 40-foot (12.2 m) storm surge that caused flooding for several miles inland. The historic city of Savannah experienced catastrophic damage and loss of life. Several barrier island, such as Tybee Island, were permanently submerged, and Northeastern United States New York As a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, Hurricane Whitney made landfall in the New York borough of Brooklyn, New York at 10:00 UTC on September 16. Rainfall peaking at 81.4 in (206.8 cm) in Oyster Bay, New York caused widespread, catastrophic flooding, even in regions that had never been impacted by tropical cyclones since records began, such as the state capital of Albany, which received 9.7 in (24.6 cm) of rainfall. Atlantic Canada Category:Works by Misteeer Category:Storms by Misteeer Category:Atlantic hurricanes Category:Category 6 hurricanes Category:Category 5 hurricanes Category:Intense storms